People's Community Medics

"The Race to an Emergency," a special hour-long documentary by KALW News examining the 911 Emergency Response System in Oakland. Reporter Ali Budner and host Martina Castro will trace the path of a 911 call and the response, through dispatchers to emergency responders, and will also talk to residents who feel they can't rely on 911 in neighborhoods where there's more poverty and crime. We'll also introduce you to the People's Community Medics, a group of residents who decided to train themselves in basic first aid so they could keep people alive while they wait for help.

A year ago, KALW’s Ali Budner met Sharena Thomas and her friend Lesley Phillips, two women from East Oakland who say the 911 emergency response system in their neighborhood is broken.

In trying to find a possible solution, they co-founded group called The People’s Community Medics. Its goal is to train citizens in basic first aid so they can help people as they wait for emergency responders.